Keeping Fisantekraal safe

Kitting the community out with gloves and information pamphlets.

An investment banker – turned pastor is supplying hand sanitiser and food parcels to Fisantekraal – during the national lockdown.


Andie Steele-Smith,of Durbanville, moved to Cape Town from Sydney, Australia, five years ago. Since then, he has been helping people in Fisantekraal’s informal settlements.


“I got the calling to come down to Cape Town, and I started doing work in communities such as Fisantekraal and Manenberg as a community pastor,” Mr Steele-Smith said.


“I also adopted twin boys, Franklin and Frank Junior Geduld, who live in Fisantekraal and at the age of 19 have become my right-hand men, in the distribution of the hand sanitisers and food parcels.”


Mr Steele-Smith said he had bought R100 000 worth of hand sanitisers and soap, from his own pocket, when the lockdown was announced and distributed them to 10 000 people in Fisantekraal and 40 000 in Manenberg.


“Since I started working in these communities, I have become quite popular with the residents there, and, over time, I have recruited a group of men who help me distribute the bars of soap, hand sanitisers and information pamphlets on how to stay sanitised. In Manenberg, there are four gangs who are currently helping us distribute everything while in Fisantekraal, my sons and about 30 volunteers ensure that all the households get their packages.”


Mr Steele-Smith said he would be getting more soap this week, to the value of R150 000, and hoped to reach 200 000 people.


One of the people, who has become good friends with Mr Steele-Smith in Fisantekraal is Albertina Yoli, who was one of the first recipients of the soap parcels. 


Ms Yoli said: “Mr Andie has really been a great help for the people here and we are very happy that he is here to help us. Although we are happy to get the soaps, and are grateful for Andie and all the other people, we really need more help to get people to stop being outside. There are still too many people just walking outside and not listening to the rules. Everyday, there is a truck that brings us water but the people who go fetch there do not wear masks and they do not practice social distancing at all.” 


Ms Yoli added that prior to the soap deliveries, Mr Steele-Smith was an ever present in the community as he would often preach in the community and also provide residents with plastic sheets that can be added to shacks in order to waterproof their homes when it rains. 


While Mr Steele-Smith pays for most of the soaps out of his own pocket, he has been getting help from GiveWise, a non-profit corporation, created by Durbanville resident Lucinda Valentine in 2015.


Ms Valentine said: “I have known Andie for a few years now, and last year we started to work together in terms of bringing services to Fisantekraal. When he started to distribute the soaps and sanitisers, he was the hands and feet of the operation while I organised everything and was able to gather funds to help. Right now the soap remains our priority but we are now also focused on getting funds and  the distribution of food parcels.”